Theme= Exploitation Flashcards
(12 cards)
How do the upper class exploit the poor?
- Capitalist economy on a whole PREY on the VULNERABILITY of working class to make huge profits.
- The Birlings take ADVANTAGE of their positions to make their own way and ESCAPE PUNISHMENT.
- Lower classes were DEPENDENT on the upper classes for EVERYTHING.
- Priestley argues that upper classes exploited this DEPENDENCY to control others.
How does each Birling exploit Eva?
- Mr B= used her for CHEAP LABOUR.
- Sheila= exploited her STATUS to get Eva FIRED.
- Gerald + Eric= used her for SEX.
- Mrs B= exploited her INFLUENCE at the charity shop to get her case DENIED.
“for lower costs and higher prices”
= said by Mr B to Gerald in Act 1.
- Mr Birling’s goal is UNCONCERNED about the poor conditions in the workplace.
- He wants to make MORE PROFIT even though his business is already successful.
- His workers are reduced to a simple ‘cost’ he wants to LOWER.
- His workers never receive the benefits of these ‘higher prices’ because Mr B KEEPS IT to HIMSELF.
He outlines that he has “several hundred women” in his factory who “keep changing”.
- He DOESN’T see his workers as individuals.
- Women’s loss of INDIVIDUAL IDENTITY because they are seen as a COLLECTIVE.
- ‘keep changing’ highlights the vast amount of UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE available as it’s suggested that the company CONSTANTLY HIRES new people while FIRING old staff to keep their COSTS LOW.
“a lot of young girls living in that sort of existence in every city and big town in the country”…..”we wouldn’t know where to look for cheap labour”
= said by the Inspector to Sheila in Act 1.
- shows that companies don’t just TURN A BLIND EYE to the SUFFERING of the poor but instead ACTIVELY SEEK it out.
- ‘every city and big town’ expresses how UNIVERSAL the problem is, evoking the idea that POVERTY IS AN EPIDEMIC.
- They are prepared to HARM ‘young girls’ which shows how INHUMAINE and PITILESS the upper classes are.
What are Gerald + Eric’s roles in exploitation?
- they represent ways that exploitation and mistreatment of women has been NORMALISED and ENCOURAGED in society.
- culture of AGGRESIVE MASCULINITY and PRIDE.
GERALD= - he rescues Eva provides her a place TO STAY and gives her MONEY.
- this makes him seem like a GOOD SAMARITAN who SELFLESSLEY helps her.
- however, he makes her his MISTRESS and ABANDONS her.
“looked young and fresh and charming and altogether out of place down there”
= said by Gerald in Act 2.
- sensual and romanticised descriptions shows his SEXUAL ATTRACTION to her.
- the REPETITION of how she ‘looked’ shows that he formed these opinions of her BEFORE even getting to know her.
Gerald “became at once the most important person in her life”
= Act 2.
- Eva felt like she OWED Gerald rescuing her.
- Gerald didn’t offer her much, but she had been so ISOLATED that his status as an UPPER CLASS MAN made him ‘important’.
- Gerald’s relationship was PRICELESS to her even if he DIDN’T TREAT HER WELL.
- he showed SEXUAL EXPLOITATION.
Gerald enjoyed being the “wonderful fairy prince” to her.
= Act 2.
- being a ‘fairy prince’ enabled him to do whatever HE WISHED.
- When he eventually broke it off, she “hadn’t expected it to last” which shows that she was AWARE that Gerald was much LESS INVESTED in the relationship than she was and his DESIRE FOR HER would WEAR OFF.
How does Priestley show the power imbalance?
- Eva’s whole life REVOLVED around the relationship but Gerald only saw her as TEMPORARY PLEASURE.
- Priestley does this to show that the lower classes were committed to the upper classes WISHES and DESIRES.
- the upper class enjoyed the BENEFITS.
“I wasn’t in love with her or anything - but I liked her - she was pretty and a good sport”
= said by Eric in Act 3.
- he used her to SATISFY his own sexual DESIRES.
- ‘pretty and a good sport’ shows that he OBJECTIFIES her. She is a prey and something TO BE CONQUERED rather than a WILLING PARTICIPANT.
- ‘good sport’ shows that she only TOLERATED HIM.
- Eric FORCED Eva in a position she didn’t want to be in.
How does the Inspector summarise Eric’s exploitation of Eva?
- he says “as if she was an animal, a thing, not a person” - Act 3.
- Eric used her as a ‘thing’ without committing to marry her or see her again.
- he DEHUMINISED her because she was part of the LOWER CLASS.
- ‘animals’ shows that lower classes were treated INHUMAINLY and BARBARICALLY.
